Ralph Lauren’s niece fined in air-rage incident

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Ralph Lauren’s niece fined in air-rage incident

(CNN) — A niece of fashion designer Ralph Lauren has been fined more than $2,000 following an air-rage incident that caused a trans-Atlantic flight to be diverted, Irish media reported Wednesday.

Jennifer Lauren pleaded guilty to two charges which included “threatening and abusive behavior on the flight and being intoxicated to an extent that could cause danger to passengers,” state broadcaster RTE said.

The 41-year old was arrested Monday at Shannon Airport in western Ireland after a Delta Air Lines flight from Barcelona to New York was diverted.

She appeared at Ennis Courthouse on Wednesday, where the court heard that costs of $43,158 had been incurred as a result of the flight diversion and the inconvenience it caused to passengers and crew, RTE said.

Lauren’s attorney, Sharon Curley, told the court her client had a number of medical conditions and was extremely sorry about the trouble she had caused, RTE added.

Judge Patrick Durcan said he accepted that her behavior was entirely out of character, but he had to also recognize the upset and disruption that had been caused.

RTE said the judge fined her 2,000 euros ($2,717) on charges of being intoxicated on board the flight and took another charge of threatening or abusive behavior into consideration.

Lauren made no comment as she left the court.

A Delta spokesman said the diversion was due to “an unruly customer.”

The plane, carrying 216 passengers, resumed its flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport more than two hours after landing at Shannon Airport.

Lauren runs a business in the United States called Jenny Lauren Jewelry.

Her 2004 memoir, “Homesick: A Memoir of Family, Food and Finding Hope,” describes her effort to overcome an eating disorder and related health problems during her teens and 20s.